Sing your heart out
by Kiaranaria
Summary: Lory invites the whole LME staff for a, I quote: 'fun afternoon with karaoke and snacks'. It was voluntarily for everyone who wanted to come - except the LoveMe section. Disclaimer: Skip Beat! belongs to the one and only Nakamura Yoshiki-sensei.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey guys :)_

_This is what happens, if I'm plaqued a 'few' weeks (I think it could have been month as well O.o not sure) by a song. I don't know if I have to call it a 'song fic' only because there is a song sung, but, well... whatever.  
The funny thing is: It was supposed to be a shorty with something like 2k words, but it got a little out of control... Well, you will see._

_This is not proofreaded. So, if you find mistakes (what kind soever) or something confusing, then please tell me._

_Have fun :)_

* * *

It was president Takarada Lory's way of entertaining his employees.  
Nobody knows how he did it, but he got all the people who work for him - regardless of being an office worker, manager or talent, and even all the repairman, maintenance workers and the whole cleaning staff - really everyone at LME got the friday afternoon off.  
Well, as off as an afternoon can be, if the eccentric head of your company clears your schedule. He invited everyone to a get- together into his 'humble' dwelling - as he would call it - for a, I quote: 'fun afternoon with karaoke and snacks'. Nobody was forced to go there. It was voluntarily for everyone who wanted to come - except the LoveMe section.

* * *

"MO! Why do we have to do that?" The raven haired beauty asked pretty annoyed and crossed her arms under her chest. "No. Wait! Let me rephrase that… Why of all people in this agency are we the ONLY ones to have to do this? Isn't there a law or something against workplace bullying?"

"You could read a few law books, then you would know about it, wouldn't you?" This comment came from a smaller black haired girl with a grin and an in amusement raised eyebrow. The taller girl glared at her.

"Oh, Moko-san. It won't be that bad. It's only karaoke and I'm sure you will be just as amazing as you are with acting." Kanae looked at her, with for excitement glowing, golden eyed fellow LoveMe member and best friend with just a little less annoyance. She could feel that the slightly younger girl actually was looking forward to this kind of afternoon schoolgirl activity.

"You did read the whole thing, didn't you Kyoko? He can't be serious about that! We are actresses and no singing little stage bunnies. How can he expect for us to know all this stupid songs by heart?"

"Wow… I never would have imagined that you could have problems with memorizing lyrics, Kotonami-san." Amamiya Chiori said in mock surprise.

The tall girl glared at her again. "You do understand that, even if you aren't a LME talent, as long as you are in this cursed section you have to do this kind of stuff as well?"

"I do. But, just like Kyoko-san said, it isn't as if we have a choice. And it will be only two songs for each of us. That means we won't be on stage the whole night."

"I know. But it still will be 30 songs we have to learn." Kanae sighed angry. "And HE is the one who chose them. I don't even want to see what's in that list." All three girls looked a little frightened at the still untouched envelope on the table. It was a big and rather thick bag made of bright pink paper with the word 'Songs' written in bold block capitals on it.

"We just have to see." Kyoko said with all the enthusiasm she could muster and took the heavy package from the wooden surface. She broke open the seal - yes, it was really sealed with dark red wax and the LoveMe logo pressed into it - and placed a pile of documents on the table. After another grab into the envelope she hold a bright pink heart shaped USB flash drive in her hand.

"Oh boy! He really is into that stupid colour, isn't he." Exclaimed the tallest of the LoveMe girls. The other two only looked frowning at the small device. Then Chiori picked the papers from the table and started looking through them, while Kyoko went silently to the Computer to boot it up.

"Those songs aren't that bad. It's actually a pretty wide range." Said the third LoveMe member still skimming through the pile.

Kanae only sighed in defeat and walked over to Kyoko. She knew all along that there was no way to get out of this, even if the other two would have put up more of a fight. "So, what's on that heartshaped thingamajig?"

"The songs." Answered LoveMe Nr. 1 and clicked on the upmost of the titles. Well, 'titles' might be overstated - they had numbers, from 1 to 30. The music program was loading and then the first sound came through the speakers. A rather deep female voice was saying something in English and you could hear the rhythmic snapping of fingers. After the song started fully and all three girls recognized it, they immediately paled in unison.

"No way! I won't sing that!" Kanae exclaimed.

"Do we have to wear such clothes too?" Chiori asked disbelieving with her eyes wide open.

"In that note there was nothing mentioned about dancing to the music, was it?" Kyoko hastily grabbed the note they found sticking on the door of the LoveMe room as they entered the place together earlier and skimmed through it. "Phew. It says, that we only have to stay on the stage and sing what will be chosen for us."

"But what about the clothes? I know it sounds strange, but I actually would prefer the jumpsuit on the stage, if we would have to wear clothes like them." LoveMe Nr. 1 and 2 looked in understanding at the other girl who was still standing a few feet away. Then all three faces were directed at the door, from where they had heard a knock.

Kanae frowned at the wooden room entrance. "Why do I have the feeling that on the other side of this door is the answer to your question?" Chiori, who was rather confused, because she wasn't used to all this silly things yet, went with a raised brow to open the door. But there wasn't anyone in the hallway - only a big brown cardboard box with the LoveMe logo on it. The now even more confused girl brought the package inside and closed the door behind her. While she opened the carton the other two stepped next to her - really curious what they would find.

The tallest one threw her head back and exclaimed to the ceiling "Of course! Again this dreaded colour." She sighed. "What is it this time? Curtains or bedclothes for our homes?" Kyoko grabbed a pair of pink high- heeled overknees from the box and held them up in the air.

They all looked equally disbelieving with their jaws dropped at the shoes, till Chiori snorted. "For real?"

"They have name tags on them." The golden eyed girl said with a frown, extracted the items and handed each girl what was meant for them. Then the newest LoveMe member grabbed a note from the bottom of the box and read it aloud.

"Need to be worn on the stage."

"Sure… What else..." Said LoveMe Nr. 2 irritated, while looking through the stack of clothes.

Kyoko looked at the clock on the wall, rose from her kneeling position on the floor, placed her pile of fabric on the table and went back to the computer. "There are only two and a half hours left, before we will be picked up. We should at least listen to every song once."

Knowing that she was right and there wouldn't be any way out suddenly after all, the other two followed her example and sat down next to the chestnut haired girl at the desk.

"How do we decide, who is going to sing which song?" Chiori asked after the fourth piece of music.

"Hmm… Drawing lots? And those with more than one singer, we will sing together." Suggested the golden eyed girl and the other two agreed. They divided the songs equally among themselves and listened to them while changing into their stage attire.

"If it wasn't for that gross color, that outfit could actually look good." The smallest one noted and put on her new shoes. "Oh, and different boots, of course. How does the president of LME knows my size anyway?" She asked with a frown her equally dressed fellow actresses. They sported now all a tight white tank top with a big LoveMe logo on it, bright pink short shorts with a thin white leather belt, a short pink jacket with ¾ sleeves, that didn't reach the belly and of course the over- knee stiletto boots in the infamous LoveMe color.

"That's something you better not think too much about." Kanae answered and watched with a small frown Kyoko walking comfortably in those redoubtable 4,5 inch heels. She herself wasn't used to shoes that high and was a little unsteady in them.

"Wow! Kyoko-san, you're pretty good with those stiletto high heels. Do you wear something like that often?" LoveMe Nr. 3 asked curiously and the person in question paled. "Though I never saw you in such boots before…"

"Oh, I had to wear similar ones for a job and well, it's like riding a bike. Once you know how to, you won't forget it." Both girls stared puzzled and a little bewildered at their friend.

"In which kind of job do you have to wear such ankle breaker?"  
The golden eyed girl was hastily searching her brain for an excuse, but before even a second went by there was another knock on the door and said person was opening the entrance already before the other two even had a chance to move.

"Good afternoon, Mogami-sama." President Takaradas rather taciturn servant said with a formal bow. "Your carriage is prepared and will be waiting for the three of you in the basement."

"We will be right there. Thank you, Sebastian-san." She replied with a bow of her own and turned to her friends. "Are you ready to go? Our transportation is waiting for us." Both girls looked at each other and decided in silent conversation to press the other one another time for the information.

* * *

_Well, that was the first chapter. There will be another 2- 4, not sure yet._

_I hope you like it so far._

_Thanks for reading and till next time._

_Ja ne :)_

_Kia_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey guys :)_

_The second part of the supposed-to-be-a-shorty story. There is the song somewhere and I would recommend you to listen to it while reading the lyrics, but... well... it's your choice. The title is mentioned at the bottom._

_This chapter isn't proofreaded as well. If you find mistakes (any kind) or some confusing "whatevers" pls tell me. I try to fix it then._

**_Disclaimer: The mentioned song belongs to the people listed at the bottom._**

_Have fun :)_

* * *

The ride to the Takarada property was a short one and it wasn't long before the three LoveMe girls stood next to the stage - more or less prepared for the inevitable. The 'get- together' took place in the huge hall of the mansion, where - frighteningly - more than 500 people were gathered. The lights were dimmed to create a more bar- like atmosphere. Many long tables were spread across the room and food stands for the snacks and drinks were fixed on the walls. On the right side of the stage was a huge screen positioned from where the singers could read the lyrics. In the middle were three wooden bar stools placed in a row and on the back of the platform was a huge white wall mounted on which a projector would display the words as well.

It was about an hour into the 'party' and a few minutes after the three girls arrived at the gathering as Lory set foot on the stage and the whole hall went immediately silent. Maybe it was out of respect for their head of the company, host and owner of the villa, but probably it was just his attire. Not that the majority of his staff was new to his 'lifestyle', but sometimes it still surprised them.  
On this day he wore a white jumpsuit with golden embroidery all over his chest, a stand- up collar, flared pants, a white cape with red inner lining and shiny white patent- leather shoes. A pompadour with the typical little hair flip and sideburns completed his Elvis Look.

"Hello again my dear colleagues and friends. I hope you all are having fun." The crowd cheered merrily and the president grinned widely. "I'm pleased to hear that. So, what would you all think of a little entertainment?" The people cheered again, this time even a tad louder. "Then I think we should have a little fun with karaoke." He turned to the side of the stage and stretched his arm out to indicate the girls to come up. "Ladies!"

They looked shortly at each other and went then up the stairs. LoveMe girl Nr. 1 was nervous, because she had to sing in front of all those people, and excited, because she will for the first time do a schoolgirl activity with her two friends. Sure she went a few times with Kanae to a karaoke bar, but only for a private conversation - they never sung.  
LoveMe girl Nr. 2 was annoyed, like always when her boss had such 'great' ideas and is forcing them to do what he wants. She hated the fact that there was no way out no matter how much she objected.  
And LoveMe girl Nr.3? Well, she didn't really have much of an idea, how a karaoke event like this should help her with her problem, but if her LoveMe-sempais would do it, then she would do it as well.  
So, they all three stepped on the platform with a frown.  
"Ah! There you are! Sit down, sit down. I'll quickly explain the rules and then the three of you can get started." He turned back to the crowd again. "Listen!" He paused dramatically. "You all suggested songs a while back and we have them all prepared for you to sing today. I personally chose 30 out of those 476 for our three lovely girls here. But even that number would still be a bit too much. So, we're going to let the coincidence decide, what they will sing." He looked at the girls again. "I assume the three of you somehow divided all those masterpieces among each other?"

"Yes…" They answered at the same time while nodding warily at the tall man.

"Good. And now everyone in this room will look deep into the glass of water in front of you." A murmur went through the people on the tables as they did what he told them to do. "Would the person with the number one get up." A middle aged woman with short black hair rose rather embarrassed from her chair in the back of the large room. "Ah, Tachibana. Do you have a good time?" The woman nodded and you could hear a faint "Yes".

"That's good. And now would you tell me a number between 1 and 30?" A quiet '20' reached the stage. "20?" He confirmed and then turned to the now standing girls. "Then my ladies. It's your turn." They communicated silently with their eyes as the Elvis- lookalike took his way down the stairs. It wasn't hard for them to remember which number masked which song and they knew that the '20' was one for the three of them. Well, more or less. Admittedly they decided to sing the few songs with more than one artist completely together, but this one was the exception.  
Till this day Kanae not even once thought about her talent as something negative - but hey, who would be a better fit for rapping than the girl who can read a book in a few minutes and recite the whole thing afterwards?

So, as the first sounds from 'Where is the Love?' resounded through the hall Kanae took a deep breath and started with the sprechgesang, while the other two were only responsible for the chorus. The crowd cheered loudly as the girls had finished and the three persons in question had one thing to admit: it was a thrilling feeling.  
The next song was 'chosen' from a tall good- looking guy from the music department. It was 'Call me maybe' by Carly Rae Jepsen and that would mean a solo for Chiori. You could clearly see that she had a lot of fun singing that one. Followed was it by 'Poker face' - Guess who had to sing that?  
The few people in the room who knew Kanae a little better had to grin because of the irony.  
The next songs were 'Too lost in You' by Sugababes - sung by all three girls together - and the dreaded number one from the USB flash drive 'Lady Marmalade', of course sung by the three of them. They were the whole song in perfect unison - none of them wanted to stand out too much. But surprisingly cheered the people the loudest after that one.  
Even though the girls had fun on the stage, they were glad as Lory announced the last song for the LoveMe girls. It would be chosen by the number 6 - none other than Tsuruga Ren. The tall actor had his place at the table right in front of the stage and stood now, with his everyday gentleman smile plastered on his handsome face, only a few feet away from the love of his life and her two friends.

"Oh! So, our dear Ren is the last one then." Lory said with a huge grin on his face. There were at least three people in the hall, who didn't believe in the 'coincidence' at that moment anymore. "Then, my boy, tell us what you want."

Ren's eyes didn't even once wander away from the grinning face of his boss, friend and godfather as he 'thought' about the answer. "Number eight."

Lory raised an eyebrow at that - of course did he knew the list by heart, he had the titles put together after all. And that's why he thought Ren would choose the ten for his birthday or the 25 for hers. He even had a plan to make sure, that she would be the one to sing those songs. Well, number eight wasn't that bad, but he wondered who would sing it and if she could sing it. It wasn't one of the easier pieces after all.

Through his musing the president didn't notice the reactions of the three girl behind him. Kyoko has watched the dark haired man as he looked at the president, till the moment he said that and she made that stupid noise. Their eyes met briefly and she couldn't help but look away. Now she was standing there panicky in front of all those people white as a sheet and had to sing this one of all things. She saw the worried glances of the two girls next to her and tried herself on a reassuring smile - she failed.  
Even if she never admitted it with words Kanae and Chiori knew what the first member of the LoveMe section felt for the tall and handsome actor only a few steps away from them. Actually it was pretty easy to see, if you watched the girl a little closer. They had wondered earlier as Kyoko grew so quiet and thoughtful the moment that song started - she seemed to know it already and after the song ended they had a pretty good grasp of what the problem was. Kanae looked first to Chiori and then both held a silent conversation with the other one. They would sing that one together as well.

"Is there something wrong?" Asked the Elvis- double and watched the girls carefully. "Do you need time to decide who is going to sing that one?"

The golden eyed actress breathed in deeply, let the frown cease slowly and opened her eyes - a determined glint in them. "No." She looked at Ren with a steady gaze. "I will do it." The other two girls looked confused at each other, not knowing from where that determination came so suddenly.

The tall actor didn't know what was happening. First he heard that shocked gasp, then her face drained of color completely and she averted her eyes immediately as they met his. She seemed to be in panic as the three girls held their quiet discussion, then she looked lost for a moment and now as if someone had flipped a switch she appeared so strong-willed.  
Confusion was a slight understatement for what he felt at that moment.

Lory looked between Ren and the girl not far from him. He not even once thought that she of all things would be the one to sing such a song and voluntarily at that. This really could become an exciting event. "Then," he smiled a fatherly smile at her, "Good luck." Gave her a brief nod with his head and then he was off the stage.  
The other two girls looked a little worried at each other and slowly sat down on the bar stools again - this song was supposed to be a solo after all.

Taking another deep breath Kyoko tried to calm her strained nerves again.  
She can do this! It is only a song after all. She saw the movie a while ago and had heard that song more than once already. Maybe the lyrics strike a nerve and they are too close on her own reality for her liking! But they are etched in her mind already - if she wanted to or not. It is still only a song with no deep meaning. Some words that were strung together - nothing more. And it had a nice melody - that's the only reason she listened to it so often. Right… some words with a nice melody. That shouldn't be a problem.

So, taking a few more deep breaths she was calm enough and took one step closer to the edge.  
She closed her eyes as the first sounds from the piano and the strings could be heard. Breathing in she started to sing in a soft voice.

_Sweet love, sweet love_

_Trapped in your love_

_I've opened up, unsure I can trust_

_My heart and I were buried in dust_

_Free me, free us_

_You're all I need when I'm holding you tight_

_If you walk away I will suffer tonight_

Ren didn't know that song, but the fact that the one woman he loved, the same girl who swore off love and despised that simple word with all her might, could sing those four letters so soft and beautiful even thrice in just a few seconds, made him like it instantly.

_I found a man I can trust_

_And boy, I believe in us_

_I am terrified to love for the first time_

_Can you see that I'm bound in chains?_

_I've finally found my way_

_I am bound to you_

_I am bound to you_

It was only for a brief moment, but he had seen it. She had opened her eyes, scanned the faces on front of the stage and as their eyes met, she had closed them again - tightly._ ...'Did she look for him? Wanted she to make sure, that he is watching her? Did she needed him to look at her? Or was he just reading too much into it?'..._

_So much, so young, I've faced on my own_

_Walls I built up became my home_

_I'm strong and I'm sure there's a fire in us_

_Sweet love, so pure_

_I catch my breath with just one beating heart_

_And I embrace myself, please don't tear this apart_

_...'Was she so shocked earlier, because the song let her remember her childhood? Do the lyrics make her think of Fuwa? What is she feeling while singing those words? How can she put so much emotion in this song? Whose face did she see as she smiled so sweetly at the 'there's a fire in us'? I want to know what she's thinking of… what she feels'..._

_I found a man I can trust_

_And boy, I believe in us_

_I am terrified to love for the first time_

_Can't you see that I'm bound in chains?_

_I've finally found my way_

She opened her eyes, looking everywhere, at him and then away again. And again - unsure what to do - where to look. But every time their eyes met the connection lasted a little longer.

_I am bound to you_

_I am bound to_

Her eyes locked with his and neither could tear them away.

_Suddenly the moment's here_

_I embrace my fears_

_All that I have been carrying all these years_

_Do I risk it all? Come this far just to fall?_

_Fall_

_I can trust and boy, I believe in us_

_I am terrified to love for the first time_

_Can you see that I'm bound in chains?_

_And finally found my way_

_I am bound to you_

_I am, ooh I am_

_I'm bound to you_

With the last word she closed her eyes again turning her head to the side.

It took a second for Kyoko to realize that the song had ended and to come back to reality.  
She was confused.  
Why was it so quiet? After all the other performances the people had cheered loudly, but now there was no sound at all. She looked to the stunned crowd. Why was everyone staring at her? She turned to her two friends and even they looked disbelievingly at her. Was there something wrong? Did she really sung it that bad?  
She was not far from getting panicky as suddenly three handkerchiefs appeared in her vision. One from each girl and the other one from the president. She looked puzzled at the items in front of her and then at the owners.

"You're crying." The tall man said quietly.

"Huh?" She touched her cheek with one hand and indeed her skin was wet. There even were a few more tears running down her cheeks. "Si-... since when?" The girl asked confused.

"Since _'Do I risk it all?'_" Kanae answered low with worry in her voice. The baffled girl didn't know what to think of this and stared absently at her wet fingertips. The tall beauty tried to get her friends mind of the things, that were running through her head. "MO! Why didn't you tell us that you could sing like that?" She asked loudly with a small amount of anger audible in her voice.

"Huh?" With a deep frown and a lot of confusion raised Kyoko her eyes to meet with Kanae's.

"Don't you 'huh?' me! Look at all those stunned faces! Nobody thought, that you could have a voice like that!"

"Yeah. She's right. You were amazing! I think this Matsunai Ruriko person over there even dropped her glass." Chiori said grinning. But before the still baffled girl could reply anything there was a murmur in the crowd. Then the people started clapping and even rose from their chairs while cheering her on loudly.  
However Kyoko didn't notice anything of this anymore.  
As she looked into the sea of faces her eyes immediately found a pair of brown ones and locked with them. He stood up and was looking at her - watching her - with emotions on his face she couldn't understand.

Why was he staring at her like this? The others said she wasn't that bad. Did she do something wrong or said something stupid?

...'Oh no! Those lyrics! I said those words! But, but… I said them without any emotion in them and my eyes were closed as I sung, right? Right?! I didn't look at him. No! I didn't. They were closed the whole time… Yeah… He couldn't see what I felt… what I feel… for him'...  
She remembered it.

She had looked at him. Watched him. Sung to him.

Mogami Kyoko had sung a love song to Tsuruga Ren. In front of the whole LME staff.

The plain, boring and love- despising first ever LoveMe member had sung a song about the dreaded feeling to the talented, handsome, most sought- after bachelor in whole Japan - to the man she looked up to and respected more than anything else… to the one man she loved.

The distraught girl was as white as a sheet as she ran from the stage and out of the hall.  
Everyone went silent and was rooted to the spot. Nobody knew what had happened just now. But a few had at least a hunch. Kanae was about to follow her shell- shocked best friend as she saw the tall man walking the same way as Kyoko had just a few seconds ago. But before she even took one single step the president gave her a look that said clearly: 'Let them. It's their business.' The raven haired girl didn't like it, but knew he was right. Eventually that moment would come - if she wanted it or not.  
It was bound to happen sooner or later.

* * *

_Thanks for reading :)_

_A question from me: Is the term "rapping" in the mentioned context right? It sounds strange to me. And the same goes for "sprechgesang"? Not sure about the rightness either..._

_I'm thinking if I should stop the story here and let your imagination tell you the rest... Wouldn't that be a great idea? :D_

**_Special Thanks to:_**

_Review: Guest (Not what you wanted, but I hope you like it at least a little Q_Q)_

_Favorite: Matelia-legwll_

_Followers: LucianaDemon27, moon3, sylversylvan, xxDCxx, Sasilvea and Matelia-legwll_

**_'Bound To You' by Christina Aguilera from the movie 'Burlesque' belongs to the following:_**

**_Writer(s): Samuel Ronald Dixon, Christina Aguilera_**

**_Copyright: Emi Music Publishing Ltd., Chrysalis Music Ltd., Universal Music - Careers, Long Lost Brother Management Ltd., Xtina Music_**


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey guys :) _

_This is the third chapter and very likely the last part of this supposed- to- be- a- shorty story. _

_This chapter isn't proofreaded/edited as well. If you find mistakes (any kind) or some confusing "whatevers" pls tell me. I'll try to fix it then._

_Have fun :)_

* * *

Ren could hear Lory as he tried to get the mood back up, but didn't understand a single word as he followed the one girl he needed to see at that moment.

Why did she look at him like that while singing those words? Why did she start crying at that one line? Why did she run? Does she feel something for him after all? Even something more than respect? Is there hope for an 'us' like she sung with that sweet smile?  
He wanted answers. He needed those answers.  
But first he had to find her.  
Ren didn't know where to start - why was this house so unnecessarily huge? He listened carefully if there was a sound that could be her, but the noise from the gathering was to loud. There wasn't any sign of her knocking something on her way over either. He was about to take a rather dark corridor down as Lory's silent aid appeared next to him.

"The Maze" was the only thing he said and everything the frantic actor needed.

"Thank you." answered Ren briefly before he took off in a complete different direction. It wasn't hard for him to find that place, even though he wondered for a moment how the girl could end up in there. She must have been really upset and probably didn't pay much attention where she was going.  
It took him only a minute to get to 'The Maze' with his long legs striding purposefully to it. But he really didn't want to take a step inside.  
Why couldn't it be a normal one with high hedges in the garden? Enough space was there after all. The answer is simple. Because it's Lory. Normal is boring. So, instead of junctions and dead ends cut through a jungle of tall plants, he built one in a vast room with walls of mirrors - hundreds of mirrors. But even that would still be a little boring, wouldn't it? To make it more 'fun' the eccentric man let them install sensor- activated movable walls.  
Maria had pushed Ren once in there, because she wanted to 'look at him from every angle'. That time he was too confused and got totally lost - they needed more than two hours to get him out of it. Since that day, he never even sat a foot in the vicinity of that room. He hoped Lory didn't had any new ideas to improve it some more as he set foot on the golden floor.

"Mogami-san?" Ren asked into the room. There was no reflection of her, either she wasn't here anymore or she was too far gone for him to see. If the girl really went into the damn thing it sure would be the latter. "Mogami-san?" He asked again, taking one step after the other. "Are you here somewhere?" It took him a while, walking slowly forth and calling out to her, till he spotted the bright color in one of the walls. Kyoko was sitting on the floor with her legs bent, hugging them tightly and her head on her knees.  
"There you are." She nearly could hear the relieved smile in his voice, but didn't move an inch. "Mogami-san?" _Why of all things was he the one following her?_ "Are you hurt?" He tried to find a way through those corridors - always looking at one of her reflections. "Mogami-san?" There was no movement from the girl at all. "Mogami-san? Can you hear me?" Again no reaction. He sighed. "Kyoko." Ren had said it really soft, but he still saw her wince. "You can hear me." The tall man stated gently, but she stayed still again. "Don't worry. I will find my way to you and then we'll try to get out of this together." There was still no reaction from her whatsoever. Is she hurt after all? Maybe she is still crying? Or did she panic because she got lost in this stupid maze? "Please, say something." Silence. He started to worry and walked even faster. "Kyoko." She winced again. "Are you hurt?"

"…"

"Kyoko!" She shook her head, but didn't raise it. "Please, look at me."

"…"

"I will get to you."

"…"

"You can trust me..."

"...I do..." It was faint, but he heard hit.

"Then look at me. Please."

"…"

"Kyoko."

Ren pleaded... Did she ever heard him like that? How did he look as he begged her with such a voice? Why does it even matter, if she looked at him or not? And why was he so desperately trying to find her? She breathed in deeply and answered a little hoarsely. "I'm fine." Still she let her head rest on her knees.

"Why won't you look at me?"

"Why does it matter? I'm fine."

"I want to see that there really is everything ok with you."

"I really am fine, Tsuruga-san."

"Let me see."

"Why?"

"I need to see."

"..."

He breathed in deeply. "I need to see you… Kyoko."  
Again no reaction. He just wanted to repeat what he had said, as she raised her head slowly and looked one of his reflections straight in the eyes. He stopped as he saw her moving and stared at her tearstained face. They locked eyes for it seemed like hours, but was actually only a minute before he started walking again. "I will find you." He said with determination in his voice. She only nodded and watched all those Tsuruga Ren's moving from one frame to the next and back again - sometimes losing sight of her. He tried a few times to make small talk with her, but she didn't answer. She stayed there, unmoving, with her back and head leaning against a mirror.  
From step to step he came closer, his image in those reflecting walls getting bigger slowly. A few times she could feel his presence not far from her, just behind one of those walls. But then there was this clicking sound, that brought her so deep into that maze in the first place, and he walked away from her again.

She didn't pay any attention where she was going as she fled from the stage.  
_...'Away, away! I need to get away from there'..._ was the only thing running through her head at that time. So walking straight on, taking turns and then again and again she stopped only as there was this strange clicking noise. She then looked around only to see the wall behind her closing with this *click*. Then she noticed all the tearstained golden eyed girls looking at her and tried to get away from the ugly sight, but to no avail. Kyoko walked and walked, but they followed her every step. It wasn't till she had heard his deep voice calling her name. She was so shocked that she stumble and twisted her ankle. Not able to walk any further she looked crawling for a place to hide, but there was none. So she sat down and tried to make herself as small as possible in the vain hope that he would leave before he could spot her. He didn't.

Ren saw her closing her eyes again and started to worry even more.  
_What's on her mind right now? Why did she cry? Why did she run away? Why won't she say much? It wasn't like the girl he knew to be that quiet._  
He needed her to talk with him. He needed to see that she really was alright. There was only one way he could come up with to get a reaction from her.  
"You have a beautiful voice." Ren said, but got no response. "You could beat him easily, with a voice like that." Still nothing and he wondered why - normally she would react, wouldn't she? "Fuwa would have no chance against you." There was a small smile on her lips, but it was nowhere near her eyes and looked somehow a little pained. But why? Why was there nothing? No outburst of anger and hatred? Not even a disgusted expression or a frown? What happened to her?

He breathed in deeply. "I liked that song." Her face became blank again - eyes still closed. "And the way you performed it…" She pressed her slightly swollen eyelids together. "...so emotional..." he had said it quietly, but there were tears running down her face again.  
"Why are you crying?" Ren asked gently, standing now in front of her, but got no answer. The tears were falling one after the other and he wanted so badly to wipe them away and to take her in his arms - holding her till she can smile again. But he knew that there was no way she would let him.  
He couldn't watch her like this any second longer and sat down right next to her. His arm brushed her shoulder as he leaned against the same mirror. Taking his silken handkerchief from his pocket he softly wiped her tears away, but that caused them only to fall faster. "Are you scared?" She didn't move. "You don't have to. We'll go through this together… I will stay with you... as long as you let me…"

There was a long silence and many many tears before she whispered hoarsely with a pained expression on her face. "... ..hat … sayin.."

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't hear you." He shifted a little closer to her.

She tried to swallow the lump in her throat and after a long moment of quietness she whispered again. "Do you even know, what you're saying?"

Ren was surprised._ Did she listen to him? Did she understand the real intention of his words? Wouldn't she like always just hear the words that were actually said and ignore every possibly deeper meaning? Was she finally ready to accept his advances? Ready to accept him?_

He looked at her for a really long time, weighing what to do, thinking about the possible outcomes. She could not like it… could not like him. At least not in the way he hoped she would… or maybe could… someday. She could just go away and leave him… but she is Kyoko… sweet... caring... loving… Would she really leave him just because he wanted to be more as only her sempai or even a friend? Would it be that bad, if he told her how much he cared for her? Would she really leave someone behind who wanted to be a part of her life? Who wanted her to be a part of his life?  
Wouldn't that be too much like her mother? Or Fuwa?  
No. She is not like those people.  
Not in the slightest.

In the end there was only one thing he could do.

Being honest.

"I do." He answered softly.

"No, you don't." She turned her head away from him, her eyes still firmly pressed together. There was no way she would open them - not when she would see him everywhere and from every angle.

"Kyoko…" His voice was soft and caring. Breathing in deeply he tried to calm his frantic heartbeat as he reached out slowly and took one of her fists. Her eyes burst open at the delicate touch and she saw immediately umpteen reflections of his tender look at her small hand in his big one. He raised his eyes to meet with hers in one of the mirrors and she couldn't close them again.  
_...'Why did he have such an affectionate expression on his face while looking at her? Did he really know what she heard out of his words? Did he understand why she sung to him? Was he able to figure her out in the end after all? Why did she have to get so caught up in that stupid song? She could have sung it with her eyes closed the entire time, but no… She had to look at him. See if he was watching her. Maybe she unknowingly wanted him to see what she-_  
"Kyoko…" His gentle voice interrupted her train of thoughts and she watched him in the mirror - he seemed nervous, contemplative, sad, somewhat diffident, worried, but also determined and he had this really affectionate glowing in his eyes._ But why? Why was he looking like that? And why was he holding her hand so tenderly - softly rubbing small circles on her skin?_  
She saw him breathing in deeply. "I do know what I said and I would say it again. There are a lot of things I want to tell you or even need to tell you. But I don't know if you are ready for it…" He paused and continued then really gently. "...If you are ready for me..." Kyoko's eyes widened as his last words registered in her mind and her head turned so fast to look at him directly, that she felt a little dizzy.  
Ren twisted his body in her direction - facing the stunned girl he sat cross- legged next to her and held her cold hand tenderly in his warm one. He wanted to... No. He needed to look right into those captivating golden eyes.  
"Since the first day we met, you were always somewhere on my mind. And then I started to think about you more often. I wondered what you were doing right then. Were you filming something that day or did you got some odd LoveMe job? Did you have fun with your scenes or did you have problems with a character? Was there something or someone bothering you? I thought a lot of things, but I didn't know why." He had a small smile on his lips. "At least not before a giant chicken told me what that meant…"  
There were a lot of emotions playing on her face and he had problems to read them all. The shock he had expected, even so the disbelief and confusion, but there was something else… something like… Understanding? And for a moment he even thought he had seen a glimmer of... hope? Or was it relief?

"You… meant… You talked about… The girl… that was…. was... me?" She gaped at him in utter disbelief. "But that… that makes no sense…" She became quiet and stared at the confused man next to her. Ren frowned - not understanding what she was talking about at all.

There was no way he was talking about her… Yeah… She had surely misheard something. Though how many 'giant chickens' could he know? And how could she misunderstand _"...If you are ready for me..."_ or the fact that he said he thinks about her? And then even all those silly questions? Things that she herself had running through her head every single day with a lot of other ones on top of that…  
Kyoko shook her head slowly and then, without thinking, hit it against the wall behind her - not remembering the glassy surface. The loud *crack* surprised them both and Ren reacted faster than he thought was possible and pulled her to him - trying to shield the one he loved from the broken bits of glass that were raining down on them.

"Are you ok? Did you hurt your head?" He asked worried, but didn't let go of her in the slightest.

"I'm fine." She said hoarsely with a shaking voice, "I didn't hit it that hard." Kyoko grabbed the soft fabric of his shirt with both of her hands and buried her flaming red face in his chest - savoring his wonderful smell and the feeling of his strong arms around her small frame.  
The last time he had hold her so close to him seemed ages ago.  
It was actually not even two months back on the last day of the Heel siblings - just before they left their hotel room for the last time.

Ren didn't know what to think at all. First that song and her strange reaction to it, then she cried while singing, ran after locking eyes with him, hid in a maze of mirrors, talked something he couldn't grasp, hit her head on the glass wall behind her and now she let him hold her while sitting in his lap. She didn't jump up and was apologizing profusely like she would have done on every other day. No, she even snuggled up to him. Maybe he wasn't awake and everything was only a dream? If it was, then it was a nice one - cruel, but still nice.  
Slowly he reached up and took a rather big shard out of her hair, still holding her with his other arm firmly to him. For a second he wondered why that piece of the broken mirror was so light…  
"Sugar glass…" He stated lowly and felt her slightly pulling away to raise her head, her hands were still holding onto his shirt.

Kyoko looked at the transparent material in Ren's hand. "That's why it broke that easily…"

He was totally stunned. Gaping at her he wondered why she could be this calm while being in his arms. Ren was nowhere near his normal composed self.  
After all the face of the one girl he loved was right in front of him and he didn't know what to do. If this wasn't real he could kiss her right then and there and everything would still be fine, but what if this wasn't a dream? Somehow it felt real, but she wasn't reacting like she normally would… at all...  
He breathed in deeply to calm his nerves, but was instead hit full force by her intoxicating smell. His heartbeat sped up even more and he was sure she could feel it with her hands on his chest like this.  
Suddenly she let go of the fabric and took his hand in both of hers.

"What are you doing? Stop it or you will hurt yourself!" She called and sounded panicky. With her small hands she opened his fist and collected the now many small translucent items out of his palm. Throwing them to the side she examined the still intact skin on his hand and looked then up to him. "What was that for?" She sounded a little upset and really worried.

Ren stared in those beautiful golden eyes so close to him. "I wanted to know if this is a dream." He stated low.

She frowned at him and reached up laying her palm on his forehead. "Is it?" Her voice was faint and sounded shakily as she slid her hand down to his neck - checking his temperature there as well.

He let his head drop at her soft touch and lay one of his hands on hers - holding it in place. Closing his eyes he relished the wonderful feeling before he answered. "It hurt." His voice was gentle and somehow caressing. Ren raised his head just to see her blush profusely and that reaction made him more than happy. He cupped her cheek with his other hand and smiled lovingly at her. "Kyoko…" His voice was a tender breathy whisper that caused a shiver to run down her spine. "...Do you even know what you are doing to me?"  
There was no answer from her - she couldn't. Kyoko was too stunned by the full force of all the emotions in his voice and the very affectionate look in his eyes. She stared at him wide- eyed, her heart was beating too fast for his own good and she had that strange fluttering feeling in her belly.  
He pulled her face closer to him and rested his forehead against hers. Caressing the soft skin on her cheek with his thumb he got lost in those beautiful golden depths. She was there, right in front of him and she didn't pull away. Could he really dare to hope that she would reciprocate at least some of his feelings? Her breathing became shallow and Ren felt a little pressure from her hand on his neck.  
That was real, right? That was really happening… Kyoko was pulling him to her. She wanted it… wanted him…  
They closed their eyes at the same time - just before their lips met in the softest of touches.  
It was a short sweet kiss, but full with so many emotions from the both of them. Ren looked at her just the moment her lips left his - he needed to see her reaction. Kyoko's eyes were still closed as he pulled away - no emotion at all on her face. He started to worry. Maybe she didn't like it? Or he misunderstood something entirely?  
It wasn't till her face showed him the sweetest of smiles and his breath caught as he saw a look in her eyes he couldn't even imagine was possible.  
He pulled her body to him and hugged her tightly wanting to never let go of her.  
She clung to him just as fiercely.

* * *

_Thanks for reading._

_In the last chapter I asked, if I should stop the story there... Well... That was actually a joke... I never thought that someone would take me seriously... o_o  
This time I am serious :3  
The story will end just like that and I'm sure there are people out there who won't like it.  
But... Well,... I could write more to it, but right now I can't find anything that would fit without needing me to write at least one other chapter...  
And like I said at the top... That was supposed to be a shorty...  
And writing practice..._

_Maybe in the future..._

I will edit this thingy somewhere along the line and/or if someone tells me (all) my mistakes. I know they exist!

**_Really big THANK YOUs for everyone who Followed, Faved and Reviewed. __That really makes a writers day :D_**

_Maybe you let me hear from you ;)  
__Be nice, but honest :) criticism makes me better ;)_

_Ja ne :)_

_Kia_


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